'The death of Tyre Nichols is an injury to us all'
Published by Professional Social Work magazine, 1 February 2023
The tragic killing of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man battered to death by five Black police officers in Memphis USA, is sad, painful, troubling, and distressing,
This incident has reawakened old wounds – the murder of George Floyd, and others. It is another injury to humanity, a tragic tale of man’s inhumanity to man, this time Black on Black brutality, Another depressing reminder of the vulnerability of Black lives….
The questions that keep playing in my mind are:
- Is safeguarding lives, property, and possessions of citizens not the key role of the police?
- Is police brutality a module that is taught to the officers in the US police academy? The unique pattern of extreme violence on citizens begs the question
- Should a basic module on humanity be included in police training?
- What system of policing repeatedly shows groups of police officers on shifts being without any human feelings whatsoever?
- Did they get carried away by the power laid in their hands and lost control? Or were they just off the rails? All five of them? Not one with a heart or sense of reason to call a stop to this crime?
- Were these Black police officers acting out learned behaviour of being on the receiving end of brutality for decades as Black people? Decades of oppression and degradation?
- Did these Black police officers in police uniform feel that they were better than Tyre? That their lives meant more than his?
- Would these officers have carried out such an assault and battery on a white man?
Whatever the reasons or triggers were, these five police officers are a shame and a disgrace to humanity. They have plunged us into profound disbelief, pain, and sadness.
They had the choice to do better. They chose not to. They themselves now need serious help. Their families and close friends will need help to get through this too. If they can.
The death of Tyre Nichols is an injury to us all. Black people need support with Black Lives Matter. They need empathy in the same way as they did when George Floyd was murdered. Black people are still the disadvantaged and the less privileged in our society. We cannot quantify or underestimate the profound lifelong impact of decades of slavery, degradation, oppression, and power imbalances.
Let Black lives matter! Let mothers and fathers have rest and peace of mind when their sons take a drive down the road.
US President Joe Biden said: “Tyre's death is a painful reminder that we must do more to ensure that our criminal justice system lives up to the promise of fair and impartial justice, equal treatment, and dignity for all.
"We also cannot ignore the fact that fatal encounters with law enforcement have disparately impacted black and brown people."
His sentiments were echoed by America’s first Black President Barack Obama who said: “The vicious, unjustified beating of Tyre Nichols and his ultimate death at the hands of five Memphis police officers is just the latest, painful reminder of how far America still has to go in fixing how we police our streets.”
The killing of Tyre is yet another tragedy that challenges us as individuals and societies to do better, to stand up against oppression, inequality, and injustice. To show support for Black Lives and for Black lives to matter.
Rest in peace Tyre Nichols.
Vivian Okeze-Tirado was overall winner of England’s 2021 Social Worker of the Year Awards and social justice advocate gold winner. She works in children’s services in West Sussex as an equality, diversity and inclusion lead